 Welcome to Connecting Hawaii Business on Think Tech Hawaii. My name is Kathleen Lee, owner of Kathleen Lee Consulting, and I am your host for this program. Think Tech Hawaii is currently live streamed on ThinkTechHawaii.com as well as on Think Tech Hawaii's Facebook and YouTube channel. And if you are watching us right now and would like to send in a question, you may email us at questions at ThinkTechHawaii.com. Today we have a very exciting guest on the show, Kelsey Ann Mamizuka, owner of Blissful Occasions. So, Kelsey, welcome to the show. Hi, good afternoon, and thank you for having me. Awesome. Tell our viewers about yourself before we launch into Blissful Occasions. So, who is Kelsey? Hi. So, my name is Kelsey Ann Mamizuka. I'm from the north shore of Oahu in a little town called Kahuku. I graduated here, and I went off to college in Oregon. I have some background in biology, and I graduated and I came back home in 2020 in the midst of COVID-19, and moved back home, and I didn't know what was next for me, but I got a job with home care, so right now I'm a personal caregiver for the elderly. So that's my day job. So I wanted something a little bit more, something that will take my mind off of caring for other people because it can be a lot doing hospice and home care and dealing with, you know, seeing an elderly, so I wanted to create an outlet for myself, so at the time I was dating somebody and he planned this date, had no idea what he was doing. He just picked me up and he took me to the beach and he had everything all planned out for me. It was so great, and that's what really inspired me to start Blissful Occasions is I thought it was such a great idea to have a picnic set up for you in the middle of the beach, and it was very romantic, and I wanted to share that with other people, so that's what birthed Blissful Occasions. I love that. I love that your inspiration is from a date. See, if you have that entrepreneurial mindset, inspiration can come from anywhere. So Kelsey, let us launch into that Blissful Occasions, Picnics in Paradise. What is that? And if we could pull up some photos so people have an idea of what exactly it is that you do. Yeah, so I specialize in event planning, especially small event planning for couples, so date nights, I do proposals, and just because you don't really need a reason to take your special person out. So this is a great way for you and your partner to have some alone time and really reconnect, especially now with Blissful times. This was a great way. A lot of my couples loved it. They were able to decompress with each other and relax and really enjoy each other's company, so that's what I do. And it doesn't have to just be couples. I also do group planning and group parties, so like bridal showers, baby showers, small elopement parties, and people who just come on vacation. That is awesome. Let's go over this. What is the smallest number of people that you've hosted? I'm guessing two, right? Smallest number and then the largest number that you're able to accommodate with your company. So it was really awesome. There's this one lady who just wanted to do a self-care. She just wanted to take herself out, so she just wanted to have a nice little dinner on the beach with herself really because she just wanted to enjoy herself and really be enjoy her alone time. So that was really fun and I was really inspired by that. Someone who could take themselves out and treat themselves. That self-care. You really, man, you need that. So the smallest party was one and the largest party I've done was about 28 and it was a birthday party. And man, it was, they were so much fun to have. They were so kind and although it was a big party and it was just me at the time, they were so kind and made the process a lot easier for me. Yeah. I'm glad I asked you that question because again, if it weren't for that, I would have automatically assumed that your smallest number was two. But to know that someone decided to just have someone else, right? A whole other company set up a picnic for himself or herself. That's great. I think that is absolutely wonderful. Kelsey, how did you come up with a name? A blissful occasion? I love it. It's so, so idealistic and like, it's just cool, but how did you come up with it? So like I said, so that partner I told you about that plan, that date for me, we're still together and he's my inspiration for my picnics. And so on that date that he set up for me, that's basically the feeling that I got was so blissful. Like the sun was setting, we were talking, we had lunch, it was, it was awesome. So I really like was falling in love picnic, so it was great. And so I was like, why can't I, I could set this up for other people and see if they feel blissful about this or with their partner or with their family. So blissful occasions does not have to just be for couples. It could just be with your family. You can be blissful with your families too. Yeah. And friends, family and friends. I think that's, that's wonderful. So walk us through how you started the business. I understand that you started this like around like in last year, right? Yeah. Last year at the beginning of the year. So walk us through how you started it, how you built the business and where it currently is. Right. So about a week after that day that he set up for me, I was talking it over with my parents and my family. And I was like, well, this is such a great business idea. And my mom was like, you should get an LLC. So she helped me with the process of getting an LLC through Hawaii. So I got my LLC like two weeks after the date and it was running already. So I was like, I wanted everything to be official. I didn't want to, you know, be under the table. If I got caught like at a beach or I'm not supposed to. I wanted to make sure all my paperwork was good. So that having the LLC, I feel a lot of people trust the company more because you have rules and regulations you have to abide by. And after I got my LLC, I put up Facebook Marketplace, some ads. I made an Instagram and I've been pretty much booked out since March of last year. So a lot of the times I do weekends. I opened up to weekdays. So I want to say on a monthly 30 days, I would get about 15 to 20 inquiries and about eight to 12 actual bookings, mostly weekends and some weekdays. Oh, that is so awesome. That's such a clever business idea as well. You, so you do, according to your photos, it looks like the setup includes food, like the linens, right, the tables and the venue. Like, tell us more about that. Like, where where does the food for the occasions come from? So I go through this restaurant, Hawaii Steaks. They're located all over the island, especially the hot spots of where I go into my setup. So there's Alwana, there's Pro City, there's Kapolei. So I order food there and then take it to my setups instead of everything for them. And if they have like any food limitations, allergies, I go through an alternative Latour Cafe has great has a great alternative menu for those who are vegan or don't really eat meat. So I go mostly through them and I've also catered to a lot of other restaurants, not as often, but mostly the Hawaii Steaks and the Latour Cafe. I also work with two bakers and they're both women and their so their their treats are so awesome. It's Chrissy, it's a curry pastries. She's located in Kanyohi. She makes awesome stuff, as well as Shania, baked by Shania. It's her Instagram handle and she's located in Kapolei. Man, they have like all my clients when they have birthday parties or they just want like a treat like for a dessert. Their pieces are awesome. They're amazingly decorated and they taste great. Yes, great. Are do people pick from a set or like a set of menus or is every single event does every single event have a customized menu? Right. So when they inquire to have a form, I have a form, a Google form. They could see the dessert menu and the food menu that I have to offer. Otherwise, I would ask them if they have any requests because some people want Steak and Lobster, but I don't really have Steak and Lobster on my menu, but that's all included. The food is included in the picnic. So if they have a special place that they want or, you know, a couple really likes a pizza place, but they don't really like local food. I would totally go get them the pizza, but I do have a menu for them to pick off of if they have if they don't have any preferences. But that's so cool. What is the most popular menu item that you have discovered so far that people like right for special occasions? Right. A lot of the couples I have, they like the mixed plates. It's either the garlic shrimp and the like it's kind of like a mochiko chicken style chicken with rice and salad. They love that. And the second most popular is like smoked meat. A lot of people visiting, they don't know what that is. So it's they want to try something different. And when I go and clean up after the end of the picnic, all of their food is gone. And so that's a good sign that they enjoyed it. That's great. As far as venues go, I know you're like, are you Instagram mentioned like beaches and parks? How are those locations determined? Is it for you? Do you give people who inquire a list of places or do they tell you, hey, this is where I want to do something? Can you go over there? Yeah, so both I, like I said, with the food menu, I also have a list of locations that I am very familiar with. And I know, you know, the rules and regulations about their parks and their beaches. But if they do have a request on where they want their picnic to be, I am more than welcome to accommodate for that. But most of the people that I have, they are visiting so they don't really know a lot of the locations. So I have handpicked. So Colleen and Lagoon, Alamoana and Kalailoa and Nimitz Beach. And all of those places are public beaches. You don't need any. You don't have to pay for parking or there's not a lot of limitations there. So yeah, it's great. Would you say the locations that you mentioned are some of the most the more popular ones? And what's the most popular one so far that you have discovered through your business? Yes. Oh, man, it's kind of hard because a lot of the visitors, they love Alamoana Beach Park, a lot of my locals from Hawaii, they know that Kalailoa Beach Park or Nimitz Beach is a little bit. There's not a lot of people who know about it, so that a lot of the locals like that beach and then it's a half and half between visitors and locals who like Colena because if you've ever been to Colena, the Lagoons, they are gorgeous and they have a beautiful sunset there. So I can't I can't say which one is most popular because I'm driving to to Alamoana to Kapolei or Colena and then back to Kapolei for Nimitz Beach. So I'm kind of all over the place. So you must be like really familiar with all these like venues where you can set up at this point, right? Because they are outdoor venues, I'm sure you ran into some challenges when it comes to weather. So what types of contingency plans are available in the event that it rains or I get super windy? Right, yes. Hawaii weather, man, you think that we have perfect weather all year round, but we really don't. So there was a few times where we got rained out. One couple loved it. They thought it was so romantic that they were dancing in the rain, but then there are some people who just couldn't stand of the rain. So I offer them, you know, either a refund to get their money back or we can plan for a different day with no extra charge. We'll just we'll just take what we have and clean up everything and then plan for a better day. So yeah, either offer a full refund or rescheduling. Yeah, I like that. I like that there is a plan in place. We are going to go on break. But when we return, Kelsey will go over some of the challenges that you may have faced when starting up your business, especially during this time in our history, as well as some lessons that you've learned and future plans for the company. So hope everyone stays tuned. We'll be right back on April 1st at 10 a.m. Hawaii time, think tech will be presenting a 90 minute webinar panel program called Burning Global Issues. This will be an examination of six continents by thought and community leaders living in or expert in those continents, discussing burning issues affecting each of them, how they relate to the prospects for functioning democracy and what we can learn from all of that. The moderator for the program is Pamela Spradlin, a 30 year Foreign Service Veteran who has served as U.S. Ambassador and Consular Official in a number of overseas posts. The panel is comprised of Carl Baker, Senior Advisor of Pacific Forum on China and Asia, Rupamati Khandekar, Director of Global Relations Forum on India, Elsa Jarkhadyan, a consultant with Project Expedite Justice on the Middle East. Ilbert Nua-Gira, an economist in Kampala, Uganda, on East Africa. Carl Ackermann of the Social Studies Faculty at Kunahou School on Eastern Europe and Juan Telo, a business attorney in Bogota, Colombia, on Latin America. The program is sponsored by Project Expedite Justice. We hope you will attend and that this program will help you better understand these important global issues. Please go to our website, thinktechhawaii.com and register. Mahalo. Welcome back to Connecting Hawaii Business on Think Tech Hawaii. On the show, we have Kelsey Ann Mamezuka, owner of Blissful Occasions, Picnics in Paradise. So, Kelsey, when we left off, you were talking about contingency plans in the event of inclement weather. Let's talk about the demographic. Who have you discovered has been reaching out to you as far as like patterns go? So, I'm also young people, like older individuals, older groups, birthday parties, how's that been working out? So, the majority, surprisingly, is the boyfriends or husbands and they want to plan something special for their wives or ask a girl to be their girlfriend or propose to their girlfriend. And it's it's a lot of fun planning because that's what my partner did, but except he didn't plan it through somebody else, he did it all on his own. And I know for guys planning and doing to make that deep thought and and putting all these details together isn't really their thing. So, I kind of want to make it easy for them and make the process a lot easier for them. So, I want to say majority is male and they're on the younger side. So, between 18 and 30 is like my high demographic and they're either planning something for their wives, girlfriends or there seem to be fiancees. Wow. See, every time I ask about a demographic, I always get surprised because then I have like these assumptions in my head and I love how they're always challenged or countered by something like I wouldn't have expected. Like I would imagine, I guess for me, because like I I would figure like women love picnics, right? Everyone loves picnics, but as far as like organization goes, you know, it's so when you're like, OK, these these husbands and these boyfriends, like arrange, I think it's wonderful. Have you done engagements as well, like engagement proposals? Yes, I've actually the month of February and December where I've had like three or four proposals in a weekend in a weekend. And I was amazing, like hint, hint, boyfriend. But it was awesome. And and all the girls, of course, they said yes. And they were they were just in they were in bliss. But yeah, they were it was awesome. And I could tell that they loved it. And and when I came back, all they could say was thank you. And they had so much fun and that it was perfect. The the men always come back to me and they said this was perfect. Oh, do you also do you also make arrangements with photographers so that the event is documented in the event that someone wants that option? Yes. So right now I have a contract with her name is Christy Oh, Oh, you. And her photography business is taking off. She she captures the moment and it's beautiful. So once I actually met her on Water Beach Park and I had a set up for my couple there and just taking photos. And she said, hey, can I photograph your setup? And I said, why not? Like I don't have anybody taking professional photos right now. And I'm using my iPhone. Why not? Like what the heck? And then when she sent me the pictures and they were stunning. Like the quality was so great compared to my iPhone. And I was like, these these are perfect. So I got her contact. She got my contact and she started emailing me. We drafted up a contract. And so now when boyfriend's husbands or people who come and inquire to book about a picnic, I definitely dropped her name. And if it's something special and they want to capture the moment, I definitely dropped her name. Yes. Is it is it not amazing how the universe always conspires in your favor? Here you are with a set up. And so me, a photographer comes along and now you're in a partnership in the business partnership with this, you know, other like business owner. I think that is awesome. So let's go over how you started your business. It was in March. Were there any challenges that you ran into, especially since there was a pandemic, there still is. But, you know, like at that time, we were still trying to get familiarized with the vaccines and, you know, all that other stuff. What were some challenges as a business owner that you ran into starting this in 2021? Some of the challenges were finding somebody bookkeeping. I should say bookkeeping. I, like I said, I have a background in biology. I have no background in sales or merchandise or services like this one like I set up. So really just holding on to your seats and bookkeeping and tracking everything. Was something I had to learn on my own. And especially now tax season is coming up. I definitely want to utilize it and learn more. This will be my first tax season with a business. So definitely learning and doing your research about your small business and, you know, all of those, those tax write offs and stuff. They're very important, especially if you want to have a profitable business. Let's let's go into that. You've already sort of touched upon the next question. What are some lessons that you have learned during the pandemic? Lessons I've learned to be very clear with your clients. You know, if, if a date doesn't work out, I try not to over promise them. Like, yeah, I can definitely do three bookings in a day. I'm just one person and I can't oversell or over promise certain things. So definitely saying no or rescheduling for a different time or opening up a date for another day. Lessons is definitely to not wear myself in. I am just one person and doing all the paperwork and planning and driving and setting up and cleaning up. So I have to give myself grace on that. Yes, that is a great note for everyone out there, whether you are an entrepreneur or just someone who is like looking for a balance, fine balance when it comes to work. Great work and everything else and make sure to always take care of yourself. What about future plans? What do you have coming up in the future? And I know you mentioned beach cleanups as well, and I would love for you to go into that and how you would like to tie that in with your business. Yeah, of course. So like I said, a lot of my picnics I set up at beaches. Koalina, Kuala Lumpur and Anwar Beach Park, I've done other beaches as well. But being a local, I definitely want to molama our Aina and take care of what we have. Although I set up these beautiful picnics, I want to teach people and show them and how to respect our land because, you know, a lot of people don't really understand like cleaning up their trash, especially after a fun beach day. Yes, it's a lot of fun. But really taking care of our oceans, our beaches and our land is very important, especially as a native here in Hawaii. So I definitely am planning soon to reach out back to my local clientele that I have and to set up some ads for my future clients who are planning to inquire and book a picnic that sooner than later, I will have a beach cleanup at each of those locations that I go to and just to learn and clean up after ourselves and teaching people to molama our Aina. I am looking forward to when that launches. Any other future plans that are coming up that you're thinking of? Yeah, so right now I am drafting up. It's in the works to partner up with some hotels and give personal experiences to their guests. I have a few hotels here on the North Shore and because I set up so much at Colina, hopefully to connect with the right people there and have a contract with them to give their guests some personal experiences like picnics on their beautiful beaches. Great idea, especially with everything opening back up. Kelsey, is there anything else that you would like to add? No, not really. Oh, actually, yes. So in the future, you guys, for those young people who are coming up and want to be entrepreneurs, even though there are 50 other million ideas that are out there and being marketed, they don't have you. They don't have your uniqueness. And so if you think, hey, this product is already out there, why would I sell it more? They're not selling the product. They're selling you and what you have to offer. So I'm not the only picnic business out there. But I still started my business knowing that there's other picnic business and I don't see them as competitors, but to see it that I'm giving my experiences and my knowledge and my what is it called, my attitude, my little shake on things and make it unique. So make your business unique and you can definitely do it. I genuinely appreciate your collaborative and growth mindset. And thank you for sharing those words. I hope people take that to heart. How can people get a hold of you and Blisful Occasions and if we can pull up the website? Yeah, so you can follow me at Blisful Occasions on Instagram. I have a lot of my media up on there. I have a lot of my updates posted there mostly most of the time. And you can also inquire and find my booking link there. And my official site will be dropping soon. Right, that this is this has been really awesome. Kelsey, thank you so much for educating us about your business, how you came about it and what you can do for people out there, especially since summer is coming up, covid restrictions are loosening. There are so many ways for people to be able to come to you and be like, hey, I would love to hold a Blisful Occasion for a loved one or for myself. So thank you again for coming on the show today. We really appreciate you so much. Of course. And we also want to thank Jay Fidel and the entire staff at Think Tech Hawaii for making shows like this possible. We had Max and Haley who helped us out for today's show. So thank you so much. And until next time, hello. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and donate to us at thinktechawaii.com. Mahalo.